WELCOME TO ABSOLUTION
by 372259
Summary: GSD&GS with plot twists focusing on Cagalli,Kira,Athrun&Shinn. Cagalli isn't just a natural. Kira is keeping secrets. Athrun struggles to let go of his past. Shinn is trying to uncover the truth behind the last war and an all knowing entity is all too happy to aid him by broadcasting long forgotten footage. CagallixAthrun CagallixShinn CagallixKira reviews determine final pairing!
1. Chapter 1: Insomnia

**This will be the beginning of a series of strongly influenced by the concept of an all-knowing entity (like the ones found in Pretty Little Liars/ Gossip Girl). It'll most likely be connected one shots, meaning the first few will be beyond confusing, and then the later ones will fill in the gaps. **

**It ia centered around an AU Gundam Seed Verse. All of the plot twists I would have added will be weaved into this fic.**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny. If I did, Meer would have died a very painful death much earlier on. **

**Oh, same with Flay. **

**And Yuna. **

**And gosh this list is going to get really long if I don't stop right now :P**

**Also, asucaga would have been made so much more obvious and clear than just Athrun's orb uniform in the final scene.**

**Image Disclaimer: The gorgeous image used as the cover for this story was made using: **

www (ddoott) wallpaperfox (ddoott) com/download/10205-Until-the-Last-Man-Stands-No-More-1152x864

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**P.S. Despite me being a hard core asucaga fan (and occasional non-incest kiracaga fan) I was inspired to make some one shots involve some Shinn Caga just because the thought of them together is so crazy it's brilliant. But, I don't think they'll be overly romantic, more just a strange connection that slightly obessive/pity/crazy based. Or maybe I will, depends on what you guys say in your reviews !**

**So all asucaga fans out there, don't worry, I'll put up some asucaga in this series as well. That being said, I'm not sure who the end game couple will be. The options are Athrun x Cagalli / Shinn x Cagalli / Kira x Cagalli TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEWS as to which couple you'd prefer as a final pairing. **

**The first chapter is set at the beginning of GSD. That being said, later chapters will reveal changes to GS. **

**No reviews=no updates [ ;) hint hint wink wink ;) ] **

**For those who didn't understand the math above: Just REVIEW : )**

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**For those who watch Bleach: Check out my fic: Hear Me Sing **

**For those who watch Supernation: Check out my fic: FREAKS**

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'Content'= Thoughts

"Content" = Speech

~ Content ~ = Shooting Machine's voice

Note, the first few paragraphs are a bit slow, but it gets better i promise!

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**WELCOME TO ABSOLUTION**

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**Chapter 1: Insomnia**

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_Insomnia, grace me_

_With your presence._

_Who needs sleep?_

_Not I,_

_For I despise being confined by Mortality._

_And there is nothing_

_More mundane and more human:_

_Than the temptation of Torpor,_

_This respite~~~~~~~~~~~~ from Reality,_

_Their desperation~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ for Dreams…_

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Shinn had taken a liking to the Minerva the second he stepped aboard it. If for one reason only, his attraction to the ship was due to the fact that the mandatory training apparatuses were available all night and all day.

More specifically, the shooting range was open for use 24/7.

So, on certain nights…

(When Mayu's laugh refused to stop echoing in the hollows of his mind, and all he could _see_ when he closed his eyes was the familiar vermillion memory of explosions on a shattered verdant Orb hillside, and all he could _feel_ was the heat of the flames rising from where pieces of his family's bodies decorated the broken ground, and all he could _smell_ was their blood…)

…He went to the shooting range.

And pretended his target was every single member of Orb parliament.

Or, sometimes even the faceless pilots who had been inside of the mobile suits that had ignorantly killed the family of a 15-year-old boy and left him alone to fend for himself in a world permeated with war.

Shooting at their faces provided a purpose, motivation, and most importantly… an ample distraction.

By spending his energy trying to obtain the highest score on the training device, he received a welcome respite from his treacherous, dark mind.

Until earlier today, Rey had held the highest score on the shooting range: 95.87%.

Until earlier today, that had been the score that Shinn had been adamant on beating.

And he almost had.

Over the past few weeks, the gap between his highest score and Rey's record had lessened, bit by bit.

Last night, Shinn had reached 95.81%.

Despite his initial purpose for using the shooting range, he had taken pride in the fact that he was gradually catching up to his comrade. His gunsmanship ameliorating was just icing on the proverbial cake.

Every one knew that any score past 90.00% was considered fantastic. A score above 95.00% was considered unachievable, even for Coordinators.

Well, that is, until Athrun _freaking_ Zala came on board and (while teaching Luna the flaws in her handling) scored a 96.13% on his _first_ _goddamn_ _try_.

Then, of course, the veteran had the nerve to act as if what he had done wasn't a big deal, as if he hadn't just made Shinn's weeks of effort amount to nothing.

His fury only exacerbated when Athrun hadn't even bothered to put his name as the score holder.

Shinn silently seethed at the memory.

Athrun beating his score so carelessly wasn't even the most infuriating part of Shinn's day. He had, unfortunately, been forced to spend more time aboard the same ship with _her._

That stupid, ignorant, Attha-blooded _bitch_.

Shaking his head rapidly to remove the unwanted thought of _her_, he continued walking down the hall to the deck, where the shooting infrastructure remained from earlier.

One of the other things that Shinn appreciated about the Minerva was its crew; no one else on the ship would come out and train at this hour.

They could sleep.

They didn't see the mutilated body of their baby sister every time they shut their eyes.

Having grown accustomed to the fact that he was always alone during his nightly shooting sessions, he was understandably surprised to see that there was already someone out on the deck.

Not recognizing the individual, Shinn thought it was best to stay hidden until he could identify the skilled shooter.

'_Who is it?'_ The thought ran unbidden across his mind as he saw the shadowed figured shoot against the target with an amount practice and precision on par with the Red coats.

But he knew all of the Reds onboard the Minerva. This mysterious figure wasn't Luna or Rey or any one else Shinn could name.

Confused, the young pilot took the risk of moving closer to garner a better vantage point.

He needed to identify this person.

After a few moments, a face of consternation switched into one of complete and utter bewilderment. The shooter, the one that had skills rivalling the top soldiers on the ship, was none other than one of the faces he had planned on using tonight to help beat Athrun's new score.

Despite his anger at the fact that _she_ was in _his_ spot (and the impulsive desire to go and interrupt her), he couldn't help but be curious as to what her score would be.

The screen stopped moving and the robotic voice of the apparatus spoke as her score shone in bright green numbers above the machine.

_~ 98.98%. New record. Please insert your name. ~_

'_What. The. FUCK!" _The furious thought blasted against Shinn's cranium as he glared at the princess, who was currently in the process of putting down the gun.

'_She's not a Coordinator! For gods sake she isn't even a __**soldier**__! There is no way she could have gotten a score that high!" _

As he saw her fingers wrap around the (most likely still warm) gun again, looking as if she was going to begin another round, his fury increased tenfold. He stood up from his crouched position and was just about to go onto the deck to confront her when the blue-haired veteran from his thoughts appeared and beat him to it.

From the looks of it, Luna's green-eyed _saint_ (the one that was the acclaimed epitome of "composure" and "calm") was _furious_.

He stomped over, luckily from the entrance on the other end of the deck, and yanked the gun from the girl's hands.

Curiosity winning over his impulsiveness once more, Shinn stealthily stepped within hearing range and then returned to a crouched position

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Shinn's brows rose in surprise at the anger that saturated the ex-pilot's words. Although he was whispering, the silence of the night and the emptiness of the ship's deck allowed Shinn to hear every single word.

Cagalli turned to face Athrun, and from what Shinn could see, she was…_smiling_?

"Practicing."

The fact that she replied so casually and followed her careless response with an innocent shrug only served to irritate Athrun further.

"Have you lost your _mind_? You are out on the deck! _Anyone_ could have seen you!"

Athrun didn't give her time to respond as he continued to chastise the princess.

"And what of the _scores_? You don't think everyone will be suspicious when they read Cagalli Attha as the holder of the highest record tomorrow?"

She cut him off, seeming affronted that he would think her to be so reckless.

"Don't insult me. I'm not _stupid_. I knew they'd be suspicious if they saw my name, so I left it blank. If anything, they'll assume it was _you_ who got the score and that you were too modest to put in your name again, just like this morning."

The veteran sighed in resignation.

"Cagalli, stop this. Go to bed."

The blonde firecracker scowled at his suggestion and turned to face the shooting apparatus again. A haunted look adorned her features.

"Athrun, you know why I _can't_."

Athrun only sighed again as he placed the gun in its designated spot and turned off he machine.

He used his newly freed hand to grab onto Cagalli's wielding one. During his examination of the reluctant girl's hand, he frowned when his gaze came to rest on her palm.

"Your hand is bleeding. How long have you been out here?"

She turned back to face him and replied in a neutral tone.

"That was my first run." She paused for a second to bring her hand towards her face, clench it, and release it. She seemed distant as she continued. "My body isn't used to the shooting speeds anymore...It'll get better though. That was my weaker hand anyways."

'_Weaker!?' _

"Kira doesn't want you near guns."

At that, Cagalli yanked her hands away from Coordinator, putting some distance between them as she did so.

"Well _Kira_ isn't here right now is he?" She said it with a strange bitterness, and Shinn couldn't help but wonder who this 'Kira' was.

"You're acting like a child."

"And you are acting like a goddamn parent. You aren't my _father_, Athrun."

"You're right, I'm not. So, I have no qualms in _forcing_ you to get back to bed."

She sighed in irritation and growled at her bodyguard before taking steps towards the entrance he had used to come onto the deck (luckily, the one on the opposite side of the deck from Shinn).

However, as she passed the veteran, she spoke over her shoulder with a sigh.

"I'm only going because I know that you won't go to sleep until I do."

His lips tilted upwards a little and Shinn couldn't help but roll his eyes at the look of adoration that flashed through his fellow Coordinator's eyes.

"Accurate as always, _your highness_."

She bristled at the epithet and then stalked away. After coming as close to genuinely smiling as Shinn had ever seen him, Athrun followed.

When he was sure the duo had left the deck, Shinn turned around and made his way back to the barracks he shared with Rey.

Upon entering the room, he was surprised to find that his roomate was also awake. The blonde was currently laying on his bed facing the ceiling with his light blue eyes wide open. Shinn was surprised when he spoke.

"How was training?"

Shinn hesitated for a second before replying.

"…Different."

If Rey noticed the uneasiness exuding from the dark-haired boy, he didn't say anything.

So, in silence, Shinn changed and laid down on top of the covers. He sighed in irritation and turned in order to face the wall.

His hand crawled beneath the pillow and searched for a familiar cool metal. Finding it, he tightened his hold around the desired pink trinket.

Then, he manged to shut his eyes for a few hours despite the horde of questions jumping back and forth within the paradigms of his mind.

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_Insomnia,_

_I beg you_

_Find me~~~~~~~Take me_

_For I hate human things._

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**P.S the ~~~~~~ in the poetry parts are suppose to be regular spaces, but fanfiction won't let me format it like that. **

**Yup, there it is. Here's a preview for the next chapter.**

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**COMING SOON: **

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**"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about Shinn." **

"**Don't play dumb Attha. I saw you last night." **

"**What's going on?" **

"**Something's wrong with the computer screen's and transmitters. They've all been forced onto one channel, and it doesn't belong to EA, Orb, or us." **

**All of a sudden, the loud static stopped. Silence filled the air and the screens remained black. Then, stark white words started to appear. **

""**Welcome to Absolution.""**

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**Want another chapter?**

**See that box below? **

**Use it. **

**REVIEW ;) **


	2. Chapter 2: Preamble

**NOTE: YOU MUST READ BELOW TO UNDERSTAND THIS STORY **

I decided to make this fic longer than I originally planned, so read below if you actually want to understand it!

~The first battle (Battle 1) with Bogey 1, where Athrun saved the day with his idea, still occurred how it did.

~However, the timeframe between this battle and the Junius 7 incident will be different in this fic. In this story, there will be one more confrontation with Bogey 1 before the Junius 7 incident.

~They have just finished Battle, and the Minerva is now "relaxing" (so to speak) because they think the battle is over and they have decided to head back to Earth to drop off the princess. (For the sake of this story, because of how far they traveled in Battle 1, it will take them like 4-5 days).

~They think their participation in this incident is postponed, and that a more experienced ship will be taking their place to follow Bogey 1 (which is currently untraceable to them).

~In other words, everything up to Phase 04 happens.

~I cannot stress this enough: **Junius 7 leaving its orbit has not happened yet.**

~The Minerva will face **one more battle** before the Junius 7 incident occurs. You will see the plot significance of this soon.

~The shooting scene (from phase 07, where Athrun gives advice to Luna) happens right after Battle 1.

~The deck has some sort of glass shield ceiling function, which works like the skies in the plants.

~And for the sake of me liking Athrun as a character, let's all pretend he did a little bit better than how Sunrise portrayed him when he fought against the mobile suits at Armory One (when Cagalli was knocked out). However, Shinn still had to save him since he was outnumbered.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny. If I did, Meer would have died a very painful death much earlier on.

Oh, same with Flay.

And Yuna.

And gosh this list is going to get really long if I don't stop right now :P

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No reviews=no updates [ ;) hint hint wink wink ;) ]

Forthose who didn't understand the math above:** Just REVIEW : )**

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**For those who watch BLEACH: Check out my fic: Hear Me Sing **

**For those who watch SUPERNATURAL: Check out my fic: FREAKS**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are the reason this chapter is up so soon!**

~kiarakite (She's not half coordinator and she not a natural, but I'm not telling you anymore than that!)

~Guest (what does Mary Sue mean? :S )

~asucagafan

~G punya akun

~Ffionn

~ExArchmagus (You do make a very valid point about the variety!)

~Orb90 (it'll be explained in this chapter ;P )

~bluebloodblues (will do!)

~Sparky

~crystalleaf

_**A special thank you to those that favorited/alerted!**_

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'Content'= Thoughts

"Content" = Speech

~ Content ~ = Shooting Machine's voice

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**WELCOME TO ABSOLUTION**

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**Chapter 2: Preamble**

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**Absolution:**

**A declaration or assurance of divine forgiveness to penitent believers, **

**made after confession of sins.**

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As soon as he became conscious of the fact that he was awake, Shinn wondered if everything last night had been some sort of strange, incredibly messed up dream.

Scratch that: he wondered if everything last night had been some sort of _nightmare_.

(After all, it had Attha in it.)

'_Only one way to find out.'_

And with that thought spurring him on, the young pilot pulled himself out of the warmth of his bed and changed. While doing so, he noticed that, as per usual, Rey had left long ago. His roomate had left only a meticulously made bed in his absence.

As Shinn exited his room, and allowed the metal door to seal slide shut behind him, he bumped into the one and only Lunamaria Hawke as she was making her way through the barracks.

She looked at him in surprise for a moment before her eyes took note of the slightly messier-than-usual black hair. Then her expression turned into one of annoyance. When she huffed (like she always did before starting one of her lectures), Shinn mentally sighed.

'_Oh great.'_

"Shinn! You're just getting up now?!"

His silence was enough of an answer for her. Apparently, she also took it as consent to continue nagging him.

"You should have been up hours ago! Rey was up on time and so was I! Why weren't you!" She shook her head like a chastising parent before continuing her rant. "Oh Shinn, I don't think I have ever met anyone who hates getting up as much as you do."

In his still slightly sleep-riddled mind, he stupidly thought it would be a good idea to correct her.

"I don't _hate_ getting up…I just prefer to do it sometime after 9:00."

Luna was not amused.

She shook her head in disappointment and, to the displeasure of her comrade, continued to nag him about his "bad" sleeping habits.

"You're a soldier Shinn. You're expected to be up, dressed, and fed by 7:00 at the latest!"

He put his hands up in a placating gesture before continuing. "Luna, just, just stop okay…I didn't exactly get the best night of sleep all right?"

Luna was momentarily surprised at his uncharacteristic revelation. Shinn being Shinn, took her stunned shock as an opportunity to breeze right by her.

He would apologize for his attitude with her later. Right now, he needed to get to the training room as soon as possible so that he could see what the high score was.

By the time he made it to the deck (where the training module still remained since someone was either to lazy to move it or wasn't sure if he should) there was already a rather large group gathered there.

If he had been there earlier, he would have had no trouble making it to the machine.

Unfortunately, Luna had been (dare he even _think_ it) right.

He walked up to the small mob wearily. As he struggled to make his way through the sea of green workers, he grew more and more agitated.

'_I just want to check one thing, dammit! God, why are so many people even here anyways?'_

He was brought out of the beginnings of another angry mental spiel by a familiar voice calling his name.

"Shinn? Shinn! HEY SHINN!"

Looking around to find the voice, he was not entirely surprised to see a short male with his signature bright orange lock of hair (set in a mass of brown) struggling to make his way through the crowd towards where Shinn was currently brooding.

By the time the younger boy reached him, he was slightly out of breath.

"So, was it _you_?"

At Shinn's confused look Vino sighed. "I guess not..._Dangit_ _Shinn_, now I owe Yolan _twenty_ bucks!"

"Vino, _what_ are you talking about?"

A voice deeper than Vino's answered.

"A new high score was set at the shooting range. Someone was able to obtain a 98.98%...but they didn't leave their name. It was not me. Zala's stats are good but not that good. He's never broken 97, let alone almost reached 99. I had initially assumed it was you, since you've been practicing so much recently. I guess I was…mistaken."

Rey had the uncanny ability to appear and disappear without Shinn noticing. Sometimes it was irritating, but today it was helpful. He needed a direct answer, and Rey was always good for that. Vino, on the other hand, was still whining about losing some bet with the members of the bridge crew and probably wasn't even conscious of the fact that Shinn had asked him a question.

Ignoring Vino's incessant complaining, Rey continued to speak to Shinn in his distinct calculating voice.

"Do you know who this anonymous shooter might be?"

Maybe, just maybe, there was a part of Shinn that felt like it wasn't his place to share _her_ secret.

Or maybe, there was a part of him that was too angry about the fact that _she_ of all people had bested him, and he couldn't stand the thought of admitting something like that to one of his friends.

Yup, it was most definitely the later.

So, this time Shinn responded to Rey's enquiry without any hesitation.

"Not a damn clue."

At his answer, Rey nodded and made his way to one of the shooting machines. Shinn took Rey's leave as his cue to walk away from Vino, who was still grumbling about some bet.

It didn't matter though, because Shinn had gotten the confirmation he had been searching for.

'_It wasn't just a dream…she actually did it.'_

The red-eyed pilot was just on his way out to find the blonde haired brat when he saw Luna conversing with Athrun by the entrance to the deck.

Well, to be more specific: Luna was doing the talking while Athrun looked like he would do anything to be _anywhere_ but in front of her. Obviously, whatever she was saying was making him very uncomfortable.

Interested, Shinn surreptitiously walked a bit closer to the two and was able to overhear the last bit of their conversation.

"…so modest about it Athrun, we all know it was you. You are the only one with the skill set to get a score like that."

She looked like she was about to continue prying; however, Athrun was saved from responding to her when the record-holder herself walked past the doorway and called him over.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave Luna."

'_No you're not.' _Shinn snorted. _'You're just relieved you don't have to continue being interrogated by her.'_

Shinn could empathize.

As he saw the ex-Aegis pilot make his way towards the Princess, he couldn't help but pay extra close attention to their interaction.

It was too noisy to hear their hushed tones due to the green coats still prattling on about who could have set the score. Moreover, the duo was secluded enough from the mass of soldiers that if Shinn tried to get any closer, it would be obvious that he was trying to eavesdrop on them.

So, he settled for reading their faces.

Well, because he could only see Athrun's back, he was really only able to read Attha's.

Lucky for him, Attha was an open book.

By the questioning look in her eyes and the way they flitted over to the crowd for a few seconds, Shinn could tell that she was asking her bodyguard what was going on—for the reason behind the ruckus.

By the momentary raising of her eyebrows and widening of her wine-coloured eyes, he could ascertain that Athrun had just told her that everyone on the ship had heard of the anonymous shooter and was now wondering who the pilot was.

When she adopted a guilty expression, Shinn could determine that Athrun was probably explaining to her that his best scores (available to any ZAFT personnel who looked hard enough on the database) had barely crossed 96, let alone reached a 98.

To be honest, that was the reason everyone on this ship was so interested in the mysterious shooter. Athrun Zala, one of the best shots in all of ZAFT, bested around 96.43 back in his prime (according to Rey). And the fact that someone was able to best that…and by so much…it just wasn't heard of.

This was, of course, the reason why Shinn had such a hard time believing that a spoiled, pampered princess could have achieved such a score with, supposedly, her "weak" hand.

By the rise and fall of Athrun's shoulders, Shinn could tell that he had finished whatever reprimand he had given the girl. She nodded to something he said and turned her head to watch his back as he walked away. Athrun had turned towards the barracks, leading Shinn to assume that he was going to hide away from the meddling minds of the others (namely Luna).

After figuring out where the ace pilot was headed, Shinn's gaze returned to the bane of his existence and he was surprised to see her smiling.

'_It's that smile again…the one from last night.'_

It was a strange smile. He couldn't describe it as genuine or creepy or laughing…it was more…resigned? Tired? Disinterested? _Distant?_

It was a hard emotion to place.

Anger, however, was not a difficult feeling to identify and it surged through Shinn at the thought of her smiling at all.

'_Like she knows she beat me.'_

Irritated, he stalked up to the Orb Princess and stopped right in front of her.

She looked up to see his visage and immediately turned her distant smile into a somber expression.

After a moment of silence, where all Shinn did was glare at her, the Princess' serious countenance morphed into a slightly miffed one before she spoke,

"Is there something I can help you with, Shinn?"

"I know it was you."

He was going to be straight to the point; blunt. The less amount of words he had to speak to her, the better.

Surprise flickered in her eyes for the briefest of seconds. If Shinn had blinked right them, he probably would have missed it.

'_The hell? Since when can she actually __**hide**__ her emotions?'_

"I'm sorry Shinn, I don't know what you're talking about."

He growled in irritation, and despite his ire, managed to keep his voice low.

"Don't play dumb Attha. I saw you last night."

"Shinn, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." As she parroted her earlier reply, Shinn only became more angered and he glared into her infuriating wine-coloured eyes.

Deciding that he wasn't going to waste his breathe, he grabbed the "weaker" arm she had used last night.

Expecting some sort of scar from the amount of blood that had covered it last night, he was surprised to see that her palm was flawless.

She raised a brow at the dark-haired male and Shinn couldn't help but feel even more irritated. He could tell this was _amusing_ for her. She may not be giving anything away in her face or gestures, but he just _knew_.

"Is there something on my hand that is of interest to you?"

He belatedly realized that he was still holding onto her hand and staring at it like some sort of idiot. He hastily disentangled his hand from hers and looked away, irritated that his "plan" to make her confess was failing.

He racked his enhanced mind to see if there was some other way to implicate her.

'_There must be some—THE GUN! There must be blood on the gun! But…if there was blood, the other soldiers would have easily been able to take the gun to the infirmary and get a DNA—'_

Upon considering the options, Shinn almost wanted to hit himself in the head for not noticing the night prior.

Last night, Athrun had grabbed the gun from her. He would have noticed the blood on the gun immediately if there had been some liquid marring the metal.

'_That's what she must have been doing when she put the gun the blood from it. And when Athrun took those extra few minutes to put the gun back, it wasn't just because they were talking, he was probably double checking to make sure she had removed all of it.'_

Since there wasn't going to be any blood left on the gun, there was no scar on her hand, and he was the only witness (other than Zala, who didn't exactly count) he came to the frustrating conclusion that there was absolutely no way to prove that Cagalli had been the mystery shooter.

Annoyed, he snarled and walked away.

This day was proving to be one of those days where you just wished you could go back to bed and forget the people who you were forced to deal with.

A few hours later, he found himself eating lunch in the cafeteria across from Meyrin and Luna, with Rey and Vino at his sides. Although he was physically there with them; mentally, he was worlds away.

Despite the unexplainable absence of injury on Attha's hand, Shinn trusted what he had seen. There was no way he had been mistaken, absolutely none. _She_ had been the one with the gun.

"Earth to Shinn, are you alright?" Luna asked, while waving her hand in front of his face.

Shinn gave his long time friend a small smirk. "Shinn to earth, fine…just a bit…distracted."

Meyrin giggled at his antics while Luna just shook her head in amused resignation. After his earlier apology and excuse about being in a grumpy mood, Luna had forgiven him for his actions that morning. Next to her, Rey sat stoically while Vino was making a statue of something out of his food and periodically asking his friends for more "material to work with."

Vino was just in the process of asking the newly attentive Shinn for the remnants of his cheese sandwich when the screens of the televisions scattered around the cafeteria, which were previously on a PLANT news channel, suddenly started to flicker and adopted a sheet of black and white dots.

The static noise grew louder, to the point where some of the patrons in the cafeteria had to cover their ears with their hands.

After a few moments of static, Shinn got up and attempted to turn off the screen closest to the five using its off switch. To his surprise, the static remained. He looked around and saw that the others who had attempted to do the same as him with other screens were encountering the same problem.

Deciding that someone on the bridge would figure this technical malfunction out sooner or later, he started to make his way back to his table and hoped that Vino hadn't used the opportunity to snatch what was left of his sandwich.

Speaking of the bridge, as he sat back down at the group's table, he was surprised to see Chen come running up to them. He started taping at Meyrin's shoulder (who had been one of those that had chosen to cover their ears). She removed the hand closest to Chen long enough for older man to yell something into her ear.

Meyrin took on a serious expression, nodded, and ran off in the direction that Chen had just come from. As Shinn followed the movement of Luna's sister, he noticed that Cagalli and Athrun were also in the cafeteria, waiting in the food line to get lunch.

He was just about to make a snarky comment about the princess actually waiting in a line instead of demanding to be waited on; but, was stopped when Luna began to yell something to Chen, who was still standing by their table.

Obviously very worried as to why her younger sister was being sent off, Luna yelled loud enough for Shinn to hear.

"Chen, what's going on?!"

Chen responded in kind, trying to be loud enough in order to inform the three Reds about the situation. "Something is wrong with the computer screens and transmitters! They've all been forced onto one channel, but the channel doesn't belong to EA, Orb, or us! Bart says there's no enemy in the area, so we have no clue as to who's doing this! Captain's hoping Meyrin can use her hacking skills to find out! "

All of a sudden, the loud static stopped. Silence filled the air and the screens remained black. Then, words started to appear, accompanied by a deep and electronically skewed male voice.

""**Welcome to Absolution.""**

Back in the food line, Cagalli went rigid upon hearing the voice.

Luckily no one noticed.

Well, except for Athrun…

…And the red-eyed boy who was growing more and more suspicious of her as the day went on.

""**War is a dangerous time. It is coming upon us once more.""**

Worried looks danced on the faces of everyone in the room as they glanced at each other.

""**You will have to kill. Some of you already have. Those who do are guaranteed a special place in the flames of hell.""**

Worried looks were quickly replaced by confused, scared, and annoyed ones. The same question was playing in everyone's minds: _'Who the hell is this person?'_

""**I am here to plead for your forgiveness.""**

In between the computerized syntax of the screen, there was nothing but silence. This, of course, only served to augment the eerie atmosphere.

""**The first step is to accept our sins. Secrets of the past shall be revealed for all. We shall all know of our brethren's misfortunes, deceits, and trials. For only then, can we absolve them and ourselves.""**

The screen returned to the previous news channel, and the bubbly voice of the female anchor was all that could be heard in the tense room.

However, any semblance of quiet was broken when Shinn pushed his chair and got up. The loud screeching of the metal was then followed by the rare use of Shinn's calm voice.

"He's insane. Whoever he is, the guy is a fucking lunatic."

Although he hadn't been loud, his words were able to travel to the ears of most of those in the room.

He threw what was left of his lunch in the garbage and was just about to make his way to run some more tests with the Impulse when he was stopped by the loud blaring of the same static that had pervaded the room not even five minutes ago.

To the surprise of all the personnel in the room (Shinn included), the static stopped and was replaced with what appeared to be some sort of video.

The video was clear, despite the dim lighting of the setting. It showed some sort of training room for soldiers. Shinn could ascertain that much from the equipment decorating the brown room. The viewpoint made it seem as if the recording device was filming from where one would find a security camera.

The room itself wasn't large, and there were only two people standing in it:

A man and a child.

The man was an Orb commander. Shinn looked at his apparel and determined that whoever the official was, he must have been pretty high up in the ranks. Well, at least, if all of the ribbons, medals, badges, and patches that Shinn counted on his attire were anything to go by.

Nonetheless, said embellishments on the distinct blue and white military uniform were not the only shining items in the scene.

There was a gun.

The man was pointing a _gun_ at the child.

The child was a girl, probably no more that 7 or 8 judging by her stature and the roundness of her face. Her hair was blonde. Slowly, the camera zoomed in…

'_No. Fucking. Way.'_

…and it showed wide, wet, wine-coloured eyes.

* * *

**BTW this is NOT a religious fic. I just needed something to serve as the surface motivation for the persona and something to make him seem extra creepy.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are the reason this chapter is up so soon! Like the title says though, this is kind of the "preamble". The exciting stuff is coming next! **

**Coming Soon: **

**~The first "misfortune/deceit/trial" is revealed to the crew of the Minerva. **

**~The second will also be revealed! (Hint: it's a scene with Patrick Zala and one of our four war veterans – the twist – it's not Athrun!)**

**With that he gently nudged her back towards the bed. ****He knew he wanted more. ****He knew she did too.**

**This chap's a little longer than the first one, and if you've read my fics before you know that they get longer with each succeeding chapter!**

**I'll update once I get 10 more reviews!**

**Also, the summary was changed, so check it out!**


	3. Chapter 3: Invisible Pasts

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny. If I did, Meer would have died a very painful death much earlier on.

Oh, same with Flay.

And Yuna.

And gosh this list is going to get really long if I don't stop right now :P

No reviews=no updates ;) hint hint wink wink ;)

Forthose who didn't understand the math above:** Just REVIEW : )**

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**For those who watch BLEACH: Check out my fic: Hear Me Sing! Or I'll cry Songs of Tragedy**

**For those who watch SUPERNATURAL: Check out my fic: FREAKS**

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**Thanks to all my reviewers: **

**ExArchmagus **

**asucagafan (I'll update asap when I reach the number of reviews I designate at the bottom :) ) **

**crystalleaf**

**Orb90**

**forthesakeofpeace (not telling ;) ) **

**bluebloodblues**

**Ax-attha (you'll find out in this chapter!) **

**Sparky **

**Ffionn (it won't be entirely from Shinn's perspective, though for the first few chaps, most of it will be!) **

**MC Escher**

**sasuhina4ever**

_**A special thank you to those that favorited/alerted! Y****ou guys are all the reason this chapter is up so soon! **_

BTW: Last chapters definition was courtesy of

This chapter's quote is courtesy of Mignon McLaughlin

==.=.=.

_'Content'_= Thoughts

"Content" = Speech

~ Content ~ = Shooting Machine's voice

""**Content""** = The voice narrating Welcome to Absolution and the words that appear on the screens.

**I'll update once I get 10 more reviews (29 in total)!**

Note: In this fic, the Minerva has artificial gravity everywhere (even in the halls).

* * *

**WELCOME TO ABSOLUTION**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Invisible Pasts**

* * *

"_**The Past Is Strapped To Our Backs,**_

_**We Do Not Have To See It, **_

_**We Can Always Feel It."**_

* * *

Shinn was not the only one to suspect that the young girl exposed on the screen was Cagalli.

Athrun looked at the Princess in worry, while a select few other eyes were also turning to face her direction in curiosity.

Their stares, however, were quickly diverted back to the screen when they heard the sound of the gun's safety being unlocked. All eyes reverted their attention to the television screens to see the recording device zoom out, so that it was showing both individuals once again.

The man then lowered the gun and offered it to the blonde child.

"Take it, Cagalli."

'_There.'_

Now, Shinn was one hundred percent certain. It was confirmed. The child _was_ the Princess of Orb. Now everyone on the Minerva was aware of the identity of the little girl currently being offered a loaded gun.

The younger Cagalli fervently shook her head from side to side. As she did so, salty tears started trailing messily down her face.

From the dirtied state of her once (Shinn assumed) pristine white dress, the two had been this training room for a while.

The Commander frowned at the girl's resistance, but then gave her an (obviously forced) attempt at an encouraging smile.

"Now, princess, this is the last time I am going to ask kindly." The Orb Commander's eyes narrowed and Shinn could do nothing to stop the goose bumps that were quickly making their way up his body.

By the postures of everyone else, they were just as uncomfortable as him with the scene before them.

"N-No! Puh-please don't m-mak—"

And then he hit her.

The man had just used the hand holding the gun to hit the crying child across the face. The force behind the attack was enough that the younger Cagalli was sent flying to the side.

By this point, Shinn noticed that Athrun's fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles had paled and the taught skin was ripping.

The girl beside him only looked at the scene with a blank expression: The same look she got in her eyes every time she gave _that_ smile: the distant, indescribable one.

The young girl on the television was sobbing now, both hands desperately clutching the side of her face that had been so brutally hit. The man looked irritated.

Then there was a knock, and both looked towards the door of the room.

His voice was still laced with frustration as he called towards the exit, "Bring her in!"

As soon as the words had left the irascible Orb superior's mouth, another figure entered the room.

The officer coming into the room was wearing an Orb uniform. But Shinn's attention wasn't on the soldier, no, it was on the young woman being dragged in by the officer.

The girl, probably around 13, was dressed like a maid of sorts. She looked a bit haggard, but Shinn could only assume that it was because she was gagged, blind-folded, and her hands appeared to be tied behind her back.

The wailing child seemed to recognize the staff worker, as Cagalli's hands immediately came off of her face (showing a recently formed nasty blue and yellow bruise) and her eyes lighted in salvation.

"Hanna!"

The commander gave the officer a signal to ungag the pretty brunette. The lower officer did so, whilst making sure to also remove the blindfold but keep her hands tied. When the gag left her mouth, the young woman coughed for a second before her bright blue eyes focused in on the child in the corner.

"L-Lady Cagalli! Wha-What is going on here?!" She looked around in frenetic horror. When her confused gaze landed on the culprit she gasped in surprise, "What have you done to the Princess?!"

The Commander didn't so much as acknowledge the screeching young woman. Instead, he ordered the officer to bring her to the center of the room. As the officer conceded and brought the protesting maid to the middle of the dingy room, the commander went to yank the Princess from her crouched position.

He relocated the child to stand a few feet away from the teen, who had been re-gagged and tied down to the center of the room.

The lower officer gave a gun to the Commander, and then moved to take his place behind his superior.

The Commander undid the safety of this second gun and pushed it against the side of Cagalli's head.

"Shoot her, or I shoot you."

"N-No!" The girl was horrified. "Hanna's my friend!"

"Friend?" He said in mock surprise before tutting at the child "Now we have had this discussion before, Cagalli. Friends are weaknesses, ones that your enemies will exploit. Now," He pressed the gun harder against the girl's sullied blonde hair and used his unarmed hand to force her to hold her gun towards the young woman "Shoot her."

He said it with such calm, as if he wasn't asking a pre-schooler to commit murder.

And then it was silent.

The young Cagalli, despite the tremors going through her small body, did not pull the trigger.

The Commander gave a sigh, and removed his gun from her temple.

Shinn's uptight shoulders relaxed. _'Thank god, for a second I thought he would actually make her shoot the girl"_

His relieved thoughts were brought to a screeching halted as the Commander shot the brunette through the head.

"NO!" The young Cagalli ran to the maid, sobbing profusely and calling to the dead woman. "Hanna! Hanna please wake up! WAKE UP!" The young Cagalli shook the body with her small hands, and then lowered her voice to a whisper. "D-Don't leave me".

Shinn felt some unknown feeling stir in his gut. It took him a moment before he identified it as pity. He, Shinn Asuka, couldn't help but feel pity for the girl he swore he hated.

"Stop crying Cagalli."

She didn't listen to the harsh demand from the Commander.

He responded by shooting the young blonde in the arm.

Cagalli wailed even louder.

"Silence, or I'm shooting again."

The excruciating pain that was going through the child was pushed to the side, and she settled for grabbing her injured arm and lowering her head. Her cries receded to soft whimpers.

"Remove the body." The Commander ordered the officer.

The officer looked a bit hesitant as he asked, "What of the girl's death, Commander? Surely her family will notice?"

"That's been taken care of."

"And the Princess' injuries?"

"Also taken care of."

"But, what of her memory? Surely the Princess will tell what has transpired to Lord Uzumi?"

The Commander smiled cruelly at the officer's enquiry. The blonde man gave a cursory glance to the young girl still silently attempting to wake up her recently deceased maid.

"And which will her father believe? The far-fetched stories of his disobedient daughter (the one who has a penchant for getting herself and others into trouble) or word of his long time friend and his loyal Commander of over 30 years. She and I have had this discussion, Officer. She knows to keep our sessions a secret."

'_Session__**s**__!'_

The officer smiled in realization and relief.

The screen flickered for a moment before returning to the cheerful anchorwoman.

Shinn felt nauseous and wished, in passing, that he had agreed to give Vino his sandwich earlier.

The man has said "sessions". Plural. Shinn was damn sure he wasn't the only one who noticed that.

Everyone in the room was staring at the Princess now.

Some with stunned shock, others with pity, and some eyes were watering so much Shinn couldn't tell what emotion was behind them.

Said girl ignored all of the stares, took her meal, and made her way out of the cafeteria. Athrun came out of whatever daze had held him in place, and quickly trailed after her.

The metal door to the cafeteria closed, and as soon as it did, whispers erupted like wildfire.

Shinn hadn't noticed, but as the horrible scene had progressed, he had unconsciously made his way back over to the table with his friends.

Luna was (shockingly) the first to speak.

"Oh my god! What just happened!"

Nobody at their table had an answer to that.

They didn't have to though, as a frantic Meyrin came running through the cafeteria doors and quickly made her way to the group.

"You guys will never believe what just happened! At the command center, all of the screens went black and then this creepy voice came on and showed this video about the Princess as a kid and she—"

Her rushed explanation was cut off by her older sister.

"We know, we just saw it! And if you did too, that means the whole ship must have seen it! What did the captain say?"

"First she checked and found out that only the Minerva saw what happened. No one in the PLANTS got any weird static or saw the video. Then she just looked confused and told Bart to send a message to the Princess to come and meet her in her quarters but was stopped by the Chairman."

After such a long and fast retell, Meyrin stopped in order to take few breaths.

"Why would he do that?" Vino asked, baffled.

Rey, of course, was quick to defend the Chairman's decision. "It is obvious why the Chairman stopped her. This…video that we saw, it's obviously something that was not supposed to be revealed. It is something private and the Chairman is respecting her privacy in the matter by not making her answer any questions or —"

"Privacy?! She's covering up a murder!" Shinn exclaimed.

Luna just gaped at him. "_That's_ what you got from the video? Really Shinn! She was shot! Some Orb official was forcing her to kill somebody! And you still think _she's_ the one at fault! You're _unbelievable_!"

Shinn was saved from having to come up with a response as the red-alert flared throughout the ship. Confused, everyone turned to the screens to see the captain.

"All personnel to your stations. Bogey 1 has been detected and is in pursuit of the Minerva."

Every individual that had been gossiping about the recent video immediately sobered and quickly moved to get to their designated stations.

All the while, Shinn tried to clear his mind and focus. Unfortunately, every time he tried, he became distracted by the appearance of tear stained, wine-coloured eyes.

* * *

Back in the Head Representative's quarters, a worried Athrun stroked the hair of a sleeping Cagalli.

She had told them her injury was acting up again, and despite his disbelief he let her sleep it off. Said disbelief was largely due to the fact that she had just been to the infirmary a mere hour ago to get her wound redressed.

The memory quickly flashed through is mind.

_Cagalli was resting on the bed after her wound had been cleaned and redressed. Despite her adamant protests, Athrun had finally been able to convince her to take a sedative. She had needed it so that the doctor could remove any remaining foreign materials from her injury without causing her any additional discomfort or pain. Athrun and Doctor Khan were conversing on the other side of the room, so as to not wake her. _

"_I have to say, her condition is…strange." admitted Doctor Khan._

"_How so, Doctor?" asked a worried Athrun. _

"_Well, defying all reason, her cut just seems to heal rapidly, then stop. Then heal rapidly and stop again. Each time I see her I can't help but question such a weird bodily response to her course, courtesy prevents me from doing so." _

Like Doctor Khan, Athrun hadn't asked a single question, even though he desperately wanted answers as to what had transpired in that video clip.

Or, more specifically, Athrun wanted to ask her about the identity of the Commander.

That way, Athrun would know which bastard to hunt down the second they landed in Orb.

But, he acquiesced to her request to sleep. She had wanted to rest, and he had let her. After all, he resolved that he would be able to seek the answers from her later.

His innocent strokes were stopped by a bright red light and a blaring alarm.

As the lights continued to beam around the room, Athrun gazed down at the girl in the bed.

As he did, a montage of memories flitted through his mind.

_A blonde girl screaming from beneath him on an uncharted island. _

_That same girl crying while holding a gun to him, thinking he had murdered one of her closest friends. _

_Cagalli's blush as he kissed her for the first time. _

_Her words and the promise in her amber orbs as she convinced him to continue living. _

An earlier question Shinn had asked him chose this moment to run through his mind.

"_Why are you with them, anyway?" _

The girl in front of him is the answer.

She is his savior.

She is his everything.

And Athrun will be damned if he just leaves her safety to the green hands of the pilots on this ship.

So, with one last gentle kiss to the sleeping girl's forehead, he exits the room and makes his way to the command center with resolution and determination shining in his emerald orbs.

* * *

"I request permission to pilot one of the unused machines in the hanger."

Captain Gladys looked at the veteran in surprise, before her gaze was directed to her superior.

"Chairman?"

Said long-haired superior maintained his composure as he continued to stare, pleased, at Athrun.

"What is the Princess' opinion on this? The deployment of her only bodyguard on this vessel?"

At his expected question, Athrun replied smoothly.

"She's currently resting, tired from her injury." His green eyes sharpened as he looked at both the Captain and the Chairman. "The best way to protect her and this ship is to send me out. "

The Chairman nodded to the captain.

She sighed in resignation. "The only machine that will be ready to go in time is the Zaku you used earlier."

Resolution still shone in the young man's eyes. He spoke clearly as he responded. "That's fine."

Although still slightly hesitant, Captain Gladys told Meyrin to contact the brig.

"Inform the worker personnel that a volunteer will be coming to pilot the remaining Zaku."

* * *

Shinn was, once again, being chased down by the Chaos and the Abyss. He grunted in frustration as he dogged another strike from the rabid Chaos.

He was worried.

Luna was facing the Gaia all on her own.

The Minerva was left to its own defenses.

'_Fuck!'_

He mentally yelled as the reality of the situation dawned on him.

They were going to be obliterated unless he did something. _Fast_.

But, he realized in pure frustration that he couldn't do _anything_ to help _anyone_ because his focus was fully occupied trying to fend off the attacks of these two unrelenting Gundams.

He was currently in a deadlock with the Abyss. Adjusting his position, he shoots the other Gundam in order to create some distance. As he scans his surroundings after narrowly getting out of the previous impasse and his eyes widen in shock as he sees the Chaos appear behind him.

'_I don't have enough time to evade!'_

As the Chaos shoots a multi-phase beam from its Callidus Kai cannon, and the bright beam makes its way to the torso of the Impulse, Shinn quickly tries to think of a way to deflect it.

He is spared from doing so, however, as the beam is redirected by another one that pushes it to the side. Both the Impulse and the Chaos turn in surprise.

When they scan the area, their gazes came to rest on the dark green metal of a Zaku not even 400 meters away.

Too immersed in the rigorous battle to question the identity of the pilot who had just saved his life, Shinn just turns to fight the Abyss and leaves the Chaos to the Zaku.

* * *

So the battle continues.

Lunamaria persists and tries to hold her own against the Gaia, while the Impulse takes on the Abyss and the Chaos fights the Zaku. In the midst of the three fights, Neo and Rey are also going head to head.

Although Luna and the Impulse seem to be just barely deflecting the attacks of their respective opponents, the Zaku is fairing surprisingly well.

"What the _hell_ is going on! You're a _Zaku_, dammit!" Auel screeches as he is forced to deflect and backstep once again. This is the first time fighting ZAFT when he isn't in the dominating position.

And he's completely baffled by it.

This pilot he was fighting, how could he possibly be able to fight against his mighty Chaos with a freaking _Zaku_!

Auel was getting worried,

'_Who the hell is this guy!?'_

Soon, the Chaos loses its right arm.

Shortly after, it is without any arms at all.

* * *

"Captain! The Chaos is in trouble!"

Captain Lee frowned as he heard this. Although he didn't necessarily like the new soldiers, Commander Neo would be furious if he did not try to offer the pilots aid by means of any and all services the Girty Lue had.

"Is there anything that can be done to support the Chaos?"

"C-Captain! The Chaos has been _destroyed_!"

* * *

"Mam, Athrun has just defeated the Chaos!" announced Meyrin with complete awe and wonder.

Bart spoke as well, "Bogey 1 is calling back its remaining Gundams!"

The Chairman smiled, pleased at the information, while the captain just sighed in relief. Unlike the last battle, this one had ended with no causalities from their side.

"Call back our forces as well. All four are probably near power depletion."

Meyrin nodded as she turned to do so.

"It seems like having Athrun fight for us was a…wise choice after all."

The captain could only nod politely at the Chairman's composed words. She was just relieved that they had, somehow, managed to wave off the opposing ship with the limited resources they had for a _second_ time.

Her calm remained temporary though, as Meyrin's worried voice filled the command center.

"C-Captain! Athrun's not heeding the return signal! He's continuing to pursue the Gaia!"

Talia turned sharply upon hearing this. "What! Open up communication with his Zaku immediately!"

After a second of fiddling with the controls, Meyrin spoke again. "I-I _can't_! All forms of communication with the Zaku have been disabled!"

Talia growled in frustration. _'What does he think he's doing!'_

Another bridge member spoke.

"Captain, we have a video request coming from the head mechanic in the deploying center!"

"Open communication."

"Yes, ma'am!"

And, to the shock of the entire bridge crew, it was not only the face of mechanic gracing the screen.

It was Athrun Zala.

The person who was supposed to be piloting the Zaku was sending them a message from _inside_ the ship's deploying area.

"Captain, inform these men that I was given clearance to take a Zaku! None of the personnel here will let me enter one!"

* * *

Shinn, Luna, and Rey had just returned to the ship and were approaching a fuming Athrun and the head mechanic. As they came closer to the duo, they noticed that they were communicating with the command center.

"…None of the personnel here will let me enter one!"

The three Red's looked bewildered upon hearing the veteran. All three had assumed _he_ had been the one piloting the Zaku.

Luna was the first to alert the duo of the presence of the three Red Coats. As she spoke, confusion laced her words,

"But, if you're not the one piloting the Zaku, then who is!?"

* * *

Back in space, Neo and Abyss had already safely retreated. The Gaia, however, hadn't been so lucky.

It was on its way to return when it was ambushed by the Zaku that had taken out the Chaos.

"You!" screeched Stella, "You killed Sting! I'm going to _kill_ you!"

As the two mobile suits fought, it became more and more obvious who was winning.

Stella screamed in anger as the Gaia was hit again.

Then, Neo came onto the screen above her.

"Stella, return to the ship. Your machine is severely damaged. Do not continue to engage the Zaku."

The screen turned dark once again, and Stella just screamed once more in frustration.

However, regardless of her anger, she could not disobey Neo. So, after evading the next attack from the Zaku, she turned her thrusters to full blast and flew away from the dark green mobile suit.

It looked like it was about to give chase, but the colour in its legs started to fade to grey.

"Dammit!" cursed an aggravated Cagalli.

She used the remaining power to return to the Minerva.

* * *

Upon learning that someone else had gone out in the Zaku, Athrun automatically knew who was responsible.

His ire had reached ineffable heights by the time said power-depleted Zaku landed in the hanger.

As the pilot made her way down, Athrun stalked up to her.

He, of course, was closely followed by the three Reds, the mechanics, and the Chairman (who had immediately made his way down to the hangar upon learning that Athrun was not the pilot).

As Cagalli removed her helmet, all but Athrun were shocked.

Athrun mentally cursed his inattentiveness. He knew from experience how devious and reckless she could be.

'_I can't believe I was stupid enough to convince myself that the ship's damn swaying was enough to knock me out!'_

* * *

**2 hours ago, in the infirmary.**

_Cagalli was laying down on the spotless infirmary bed after having just gotten her wounds redressed. She kept her eyes closed, so as not to reveal her wakeful state. Opening them slightly once she was certain Athrun and Doctor Khan were far enough away from her, she glanced around looking for the desired item. Her eyes focused in on the nursing tray next to her bed. On it stood a container of new needles and the bottle of sedation pills (still left open from her dose). _

_Taking a quick glance to ensure that the two men were distracted, Cagalli then quickly snatched one of the needles and swiped a handful of pills. She surreptitiously hid the stolen materials in the inside pocket of her jacket. Checking the two men again, she was relieved to discover that they were so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't noticed her actions. _

**40 minutes ago, right after Athrun had left Cagalli's room. **

_As soon as Athrun left their room room, Cagalli bolted up from her resting position. _

_She opened the door cautiously and looked both ways. Athrun was already long gone. Seeing this, she made her way to the military uniform closest (where she had seen Luna enter the day prior). As soon as she entered the small room, she locked the door and then changed into one of the spare ZAFT pilot uniforms. _

_She looked expectantly for a helmet and was relieved to see a row of them on the shelf. _

_After all, she would need something to conceal her true identity. No one would ever believe the captain had permitted the Princess of Orb to fight._

**30 minutes ago, after Athrun gets permission to fight in the Zaku. **

_Athrun was making his way through the halls to the hangar. They were empty (due to the other soldiers already being at their posts). As he continued to go through the halls, he noted that the ship was swaying from side to side. It seemed as if Bogey 1 had already started its attack. _

_Athrun continued to stride through and had just passed a corridor when the ship surprised him by jerking to the side. The force of the hit pushed Athrun into the wall of the hallway. _

_Unknown the Athrun, the second he hit the wall, Cagalli came from behind the corridor he had just passed and injected a needle (filled with dissolved sedatives) into the back of his neck. _

_He fell unconscious instantly. _

'_Sorry, Athrun.' She thought as she pulled him down gently to the floor then quickly made her way to the hangar. _

_As soon as she entered the large open area filled with machines, she walked up to the head mechanic. She tapped on his shoulder to get his attention. _

_When he turned and saw the figure dressed in pilot attire his eyes lit up in relief. _

"_The volunteer! Okay, listen up. You'll be flying the Zaku over here." They walked and talked as she made her way up the suit. _

_As soon as the cock pit shut closed, Meyrin appeared on the screen._

"_Okay Athrun, ready to go?" _

_She only gave a sharp nod in response. _

_As Meyrin counted down the launch, Cagalli made note of the machine's set up and OS. The first thing she was going to do when she got out there was cut off the communication links. _

**10 minutes ago, when Athrun woke up **

_Athrun groggily opened his eyes. As he did, memories of what he had been doing flooded into his mind. He got up fast, and remembering the hit from Bogey 1 that had jarred the ship, assumed that he had been knocked out when the force of the ship's movement had pushed him against the wall._

**Present time **

As the group made approached Cagalli, the Chairman was the first to speak.

"Regardless of my many thanks, I do have to question your actions Princess? Earth officials may view your munificent deed to protect a ZAFT ship as a declaration of an alliance."

Cagalli mirrored the Chairman's cool and collected tone as she responded. "If anyone asks, Chairman, I'll claim that Athrun was the one who piloted the Zaku. And before you ask, if any of you" At this point, she gave a serious look to all the members of the growing group as she continued "were to say anything to the contrary it would be your words against ours. You'd have no proof. I froze all of the security cameras on the ship last night. They will remain locked until the end of the day."

At the surprised silence of the group, she continued "None of what I did is caught on any record. And I'd think twice before putting your reputation on the line to say that the leader of Orb was piloting a ZAFT machine."

Nodding his head in understanding, the Chairman then changed his direction of questioning towards Athrun.

"And would I be correct in assuming that you would support her in this story, Athrun."

Athrun, obviously still upset, answered through grit teeth. "Yes…You'd be correct, Sir."

The Chairman smiled at his response. "Well, since I am sure you will not admit to this good deed once the day is over and the surveillance reboots, let me be the first to thank you." He then turned to face the group of ZAFT personnel "In payment for the Representative's actions, I think it would be in the best interest of everyone on this ship to never bring up the subject to Lady Cagalli or any individual outside of the Minerva? Likewise, with the…video that was shown earlier."

As he finished speaking, he looked at the group and the crew that had gathered to identify the mysterious pilot. Upon noticing his stare, the crew nodded and saluted in accordance.

"Yes Sir!"

"I'll be certain to inform the captain to ensure that all the personnel are aware of how we intend to repay your kindness."

Cagalli initially seemed a bit skeptical at the Chairman's declaration, but ultimately responded with a swift "Thank you" before walking by the group and leaving the hangar.

An irate Athrun made to follow her, but was stopped by Shinn.

"You weren't the one who set the shooting record."

It was spoken as a statement, not a question.

In accordance, Athrun didn't grace it with an answer and just continued to walk past the younger pilot.

* * *

Upon entering their room, Athrun was furious.

He looked around and immediately spotted Cagalli laying akimbo on the bed, with her eyes closed.

Despite her pretense, they both knew he wouldn't fall for it again.

Red hot anger coursed through his body as he stomped over to the "sleeping" girl. He swiftly grabbed her out of the bed and pulled her so that she was standing right in front of him. His hands held her arms to her sides tightly while he firmly pressed her to his front, physically conveying that he had just about had it with her suicidal schemes.

When he looked down to her face, he only became more infuriated to see that she wasn't even bothering to look at him in the eye.

"What in the _hell_ were you thinking!"

Athrun never swore. He never even yelled at her. Sure he raised his voice, but he never yelled. For him to be doing so meant that he was long past furious.

"That was absolutely the _stupidest_ thing you could have ever done! Not only did you put _your_ life in danger but you put Orb's reputation on the line as well! If the EA had found out that you were fighting for ZAFT…oh god, if _**ORB**_ had found out you were fighting for ZAFT!"

Finally deciding that she'd had enough of Athrun's rebukes, she used her hands to roughly loosen the bruising grip he had on her arms. Then, with a voice as calm as he had ever heard it, she explained herself and her actions.

"They won't find out. I already told everyone why they won't. And I would think that _why_ I did what I did is pretty obvious. It was to _protect_ Orb. We wanted those machines gone when we arrived on Armory One, and now, one of them is."

Athrun shook his head in disbelief. "And you couldn't have trusted me to do it?"

She didn't even hesitate before answering. "In a Zaku? No. I doubt even Kira would have been able to defeat one of their machines in that pathetic excuse for a mobile suit."

He sighed in resignation. No matter how much he hated it, she was right.

Deciding that this was a losing argument, he chose instead to try and stop her from pulling a stunt like this again.

"It's a miracle…that you were able to control it."

She looked to the side. "I know."

He gently took her chin in his hand and turned her face so that her eyes were once more locked with his.

"Miracles only happen once."

His subtext was clear: _Never again_.

She conceded. "I promise."

With that he gently nudged her back towards the bed.

At her hesitation, he realized that she was still worried that he was upset with her. In order to quell her worries, he gave her a gentle kiss on her lips.

When they pulled away from each other, Athrun came to another frustrating conclusion.

He wanted more.

He knew he wanted more.

He knew she did too.

But they couldn't risk anyone on the ship finding out.

So, instead of pulling her onto the bed with him (as every primal instinct was yelling at him to do), he settled for pressing his forehead against hers and looking directly into her fiery orbs—the same bright eyes that reminded him every day why he had to prevent another war from breaking out.

Involuntarily, the glazed amber pools looking at him now reminded him of the younger ones he had seen earlier that morning.

He spoke to her once more, in a soft whisper.

"I won't pry into your memories. They are yours and you deserve to keep them private. But, just know…that if you need to talk about it, any of it…I'm here and I _always_ will be."

With his words, her eyes fluttered closed and she fell into his arms, unconscious. She had lasted longer than he had expected her too.

If Athrun had not known better, he would have been worried.

So, he tucked her in and lightly kissed her forehead.

All while cursing the fact that the cruelest of fortunes were always dealt out to the kindest of people.

* * *

After a few minutes, Athrun's vivid green eyes glanced at the bright red numbers showing on the clock in their room. His eyes then traced their way back to the lioness knocked out on the bed.

He then decided that it would be a good idea to bring her something to eat when she woke up. He didn't want her to have to face the prying eyes of the others on the ship.

So, he exited the room and made his way to the cafeteria. However, as he was passing the soldier's lounge area, he was stopped.

The television in the room had taken on a familiar static.

Athrun could feel the anxiety rushing through his body. As much as he knew he shouldn't watch it, there was that undeniable part of him that just needed to.

Apparently, the rest of the Minerva also shared that feeling as their eyes were once more glued onto the screens in which ever room they resided in.

The static gave way to a video.

This time, it showed a room devoid of any inhabitants.

The room itself was large and expensively furnished, with deep reds and golds. Athrun recognized the room and his brain told him that he had been in it before, but he couldn't place where the room was.

He didn't have time to ponder on that train of thought though, as one of the large double doors to the room was slammed open.

Two girls, no older than 10, ran into the room. Both were dressed in luxurious dresses. The blonde girl in light blue turned quickly and shut the door behind them.

Said girl turned back around to face her friend, and by doing so made her face visible to the camera. He definitely recognized that face. And when he did, his Athrun's anxiety doubled.

'_Dammit. It's Cagalli again.'_

Disbelief soon joined anxiety as the camera zoomed in to identify the second girl in the room.

'_Lacus!' _

* * *

**A/N: **Can someone please tell me** the correct terminology **for** the command center **(where the captain and bridge crew are) **and the deploying area/hangar **(where they keep the gundams and the mechanics work on them)

Also, I lied in the previous coming soon section, sorry! I had originally intended to put **Patrick's scene **in here, but it'll work so much better in a later part of the story!

I have to reiterate that this is_**NOT**_** for sure asucaga! **I'll be doing a_**few asucaga/shinncaga/AND kiracaga scenes**_just so you guys can see all of their interactions before you cast your vote for who you think the final pairing in this story should be.

**Next time, you guys will be seeing the beginnings of ****Shinncaga****! : D **

**12 more reviews (32 in total) and I'll post the next chapter :D **

**(P.S. Told you they were getting longer ! ) **


	4. Chapter 4: Special Strangers

**Gundam Seed Destiny &GS my way with plot twists focusing around Cagalli,Kira,Athrun&Shinn. What if Cagalli wasn't just a natural?This fic involves an all knowing entity,similar to Pretty Little Liars & Gossip Girl. This entity reveals secrets via broadcasts in the Minerva and sits back as all havoc breaks loose. Asucaga CagallixAthrun CagallixShinn reviews determine final pairings!**

**A/N: **Can someone please tell me** the correct terminology **for** the command center **(where the captain and bridge crew are) **and the deploying area/hangar **(where they keep the gundams and the mechanics work on them)

**10 more reviews and I'll post the next chapter :D**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny. If I did, Meer would have died a very painful death much earlier on.

Oh, same with Flay.

And Yuna.

And gosh this list is going to get really long if I don't stop right now :P

No reviews=no updates ;) hint hint wink wink ;)

Forthose who didn't understand the math above:** Just REVIEW : ) **

**For those who watch BLEACH: Check out my fic: Hear Me Sing! Or I'll cry Songs of Tragedy**

**For those who watch SUPERNATURAL: Check out my fic: FREAKS**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are the reason this chapter is up so soon!**

_**A special thank you to those that favorited/alerted!**_

This chapter's quote is courtesy of Katie Costello's song "Stranger". A beautiful song, listen to it if you have the chance!

==.=.=.

_'Content'_= Thoughts

"Content" = Speech

~ Content ~ = Shooting Machine's voice

""**Content""** = The voice narrating Welcome to Absolution and the words that appear on the screens.

**I'll update once I get 10 more reviews!**

**P.S. this chap was supposed to be longer, but I just wanted to get something up for you guys so I split it into two chapters :)**

Note: In this fic, the Minerva has artificial gravity everywhere (even in the halls).

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**WELCOME TO ABSOLUTION**

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**Chapter 4: Special Strangers**

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"_**Stranger I've known you for so long **_

_**I found you lost **_

_**With a compass in the fog.**_

_**Stranger you know me too much…" **_

_= = = = = = = = = = = = = = .= = = = = = = = = = = = = =_

Every man and woman aboard the Minerva recognized the younger version of their iconic songstress.

The light pink hair and bright cerulean eyes were easily recognizable at any age.

"Cagalli, if there is no one counting, how can we play hide and seek?" The pinkette's sweet voice enquired innocently.

The younger Cagalli turned and seemed to be in a poorly concealed frantic state. "I-I told you a-already Lacus…the umm…this is a new version!"

The younger Lacus obviously couldn't see through the forced happiness of her companion and just smiled in response. "Okay! What are the rul—"

Lacus' (even then) melodic voice was interrupted as a suited man with dark glasses barged into the room.

"Lady Cagalli! Miss Lacus! Why did you girls run off? We have been searching everywhere for you two!"

Lacus responded brightly.

"We are playing a new game! Can he play too Cagalli?"

The worried Cagalli hastily replied.

"Yes, yes, okay but just _close_ the door!"

The confused (Shinn assumed) bodyguard acquiesced to her request, and the younger Cagalli seemed to visibly relax. That is, until the door was stopped from closing completely by a pale hand.

The bodyguard instantly recognized the man who had stopped the golden entrance from closing, bowed, and opened the door completely.

"C-Commander! I apologize on behalf of the girls if they disrupted your evening at the Gala!"

"Oh, no harm done. I just couldn't help but notice the girls run into here." He walked into the room and Athrun easily recognized him as the man from the previous video.

To Athrun's utter disgust, he was _still_ wearing the Orb uniform.

"I was just curious to meet our Princess' new…_friend_."

Said songstress smiled brightly and put out her hand as she cheerfully introduced herself. "My name is Lacus Clyne, it is a pleasure to meet you Commander!"

The older blonde man raised a brow upon hearing her last name and smiled amusedly at her outstretched hand. Accordingly, he brought forward his own in order to greet the pinkette.

"A pleasure, Miss Clyne, my name is—"

Whatever trance the younger Cagalli was frozen in (since the man had walked into the room) was shattered the second his hand made contact with her pink-haired companion.

He was stopped from continuing his sentence (and revealing his name, much to the annoyance of the numerous nosy crew members watching) as the young Cagalli screeched and tackled him onto the carpeted vermilion floor. Obviously surprised, the Commander didn't do anything as the girl grabbed his neck with both hands and started to strangle him.

"Don't _touch_ her!" she shrieked.

The bodyguard (despite his initial shock at the Princess' unrefined actions) quickly pulled the frenzied Cagalli off of the prominent military figure. As he did so, he apologized profusely for the girl's "uncalled for" and "inexcusable" actions.

"I-I am so sorry sir! I do not know what has gotten into her! Lady Cagalli, calm down this instant!"

Once the girl was removed from her previous position on top of him, the Commander lifted himself off the ground gracefully. When he was standing once more, he dusted off and straightened out his uniform. In response to the bodyguard's worries and apologies, he just gave a small chuckle before speaking in a composed tone.

"Oh, it is quite alright. I'm sure she is just getting a bit anxious…from being stuck here all day. She is probably just feeling a little stuffy and bored. After all, this Gala has been going on quite longer than any of us expected."

Cagalli, who was still being held back by the guard only snarled at the man's explanation.

Seemingly ignoring the girl's antagonistic and belligerent actions, the Commander continued. "How about you take little Miss Lacus back out to the Gala? Her father must be looking for her by now. I'll take our little firecracker to her father."

The struggling Cagalli immediately went rigid at the suggestion. However, she only remained motionless in the guard's hold for a second, before going utterly ballistic. The young blonde starting kicking, screaming, pushing and doing pretty much everything she could think of in order to get away from his grasp.

"NO! No, p-plea, I-I can't, don't—"

The guard roughly shushed the wailing girl. "SSSHHH! You are lucky the Commander isn't reporting your actions to Lord Uzumi! Do you know how embarrassing that would be for your father! Now _calm_ _down_!"

Cagalli has stopped her protests immediately upon his mention of her father.

The guard sighed in exasperation before setting the girl back onto the ground. As soon as she was right side up and he was assured that the rebellious Princess would behave, he called out to other child "Now, come on Miss. Clyne. I will escort you back to your father."

However, Lacus appeared to finally be sensing the distressed state of her friend. As such, she did not want to leave Cagalli and voiced her objections to the bodyguard.

"I-I don't think we should leave."

The Commander quickly "amended" the situation.

He walked over and put his hand on the shoulder of the frozen blonde. "Now, Cagalli. Tell your _friend_ that her father is waiting for her. We wouldn't want to give her father any reason to worry for her, now would we?"

The traumatized Cagalli quickly plastered on a wide, very fake, smile.

"Y-Yeah, Lacus. It-it's okay. I'm fine. You should go…"

Lacus frowned and didn't respond. At the same time, she didn't protest when the guard took her hand and began to guide her out of the room. She cast one more worried look at her friend before leaving through the, still open, large golden entrance.

After a few seconds, the Commander walked to the large doors.

Without any hesitation, he shut them with a loud thump.

And the screen went blank.

The next morning, anyone who wasn't whispering about the newest video was speculating as to how and why the Princess had piloted the Zaku in yesterday's battle.

To be honest, Shinn was getting more than a little irritated because

He felt like he couldn't get any respite from the blonde's annoying presence.

The personnel should be focusing on repairs and training – _not_ _gossip_.

It really wasn't _any_ of their damn business!

And didn't the Chairman specifically order them all _not_ to talk about it?

To Shinn's dismay, his circle of friends included some of the most gregarious people on the ship: all of whom were over the top excited to discuss recent events.

That being said, he really should have expected what they would be talking about when he made his way to eat breakfast with them.

Speaking of, the only reason he was even up early enough to eat with them was because some people (Luna) had been on his case about getting up on time. So lately, he had made an effort to show up for a quick breakfast and then catch up on his missed sleep sometime between breakfast and training.

As he sat down at their usual table, he rolled his eyes as he heard the end of Luna's sentence.

"…and I still don't get why she fought yesterday? I mean, she would have been so much safer on the Minerva instead of piloting the Zaku."

Deciding to stop the conversation before it derailed into an hour of ridiculous speculations, Shinn finished chewing on the first bite of his toast and spoke.

"It's obvious isn't it?"

At the confused looks he was receiving from the four currently at the table, he elaborated.

"The reason she came to Armory One was to convince the Chairman to get rid of those Gundams. Now, she's destroyed one and severely damaged another. In other words, she has disposed of two machines: both which can now no longer be used against Orb."

When Shinn finished speaking, he growled as he noticed Vino trying to swipe his (still needed) spoon to use for his newest "creation". The Impulse pilot swiftly hit the young mechanic upside the head in order to protect his cutlery from the younger boy's grubby hands. After doing so, he looked up to see Yolan and Luna absorbing the potential reasoning he had given for Cagalli's actions while Meyrin's eyes lit up in comprehension.

"Yah, that makes sense! Still, I can't believe that I didn't recognize it was her when she was launching! Well, at least now I now why she didn't speak…"

At the curious looks she garnered from her friends she continued.

"She just nodded her head when I asked her if she was ready to launch, then _I_ had to do the countdown. I just figured Athrun was nervous about getting out there again. And her helmet covered her face and hair, so I didn't notice it wasn't him."

The whispers circulating around the room stopped instantly as the topic of their discussions strode into the cafeteria. With the nonchalance of an experienced politician, she just ignored the countless stares on her and entered the food line.

Her indifferent disposition, of course, only served to ignite the chatter once again.

Meyrin was the first at their table to speak after the silence. "Speaking of, I wonder why Athrun isn't with her?" She looked off to the side for a second, seeming puzzled.

Shinn, again, sighed at the girl's question. "Again, it's pretty obvious. She wants to prove that she can handle herself."

Luna looked perplexed at his explanation. "What do you mean? I think her fighting yesterday was clear evidence of that. "

Shinn shook his head as he finished swallowing the last spoonful of his scrambled eggs. "No; not like that. She's trying to prove that those videos that keep playing aren't bugging her and that she doesn't need someone to protect her from prying stares of everyone on this ship."

"You know…" began Vino, who had just used Shinn's explanation as the perfect opportunity to try to once more swipe the pilot's plastic spoon. When Shinn foiled the boy's attempt with a heated glare, the mechanic sighed in defeat before he finished voicing his thought.

"For someone that claims to hate her so much…you sure do _get_ her."

Luna nodded at the young mechanic's (surprisingly) insightful observation and then raised a brow at her red-eyed friend. "Yeah Shinn, Vino's right. You even knew that it was her that got the high score. We heard you talking to Athrun yesterday."

Shinn figured the cat was out of the bag now anyways.

"I knew it was her because I saw her get the score."

Luna's mouth flew open at his revelation. "And you didn't think to tell us?!"

Shinn gave her a look that clearly stated he thought her question was beyond stupid.

"Would you have _believed_ me?"

Luna huffed a little indignantly at his attitude.

Shinn took that as a resounding '_no'_.

Luckily, he was saved from having to hear another nagging session on his rude tone when Rey walked over to the table and finally joined them.

As the blonde sat next to Shinn, the dark-haired boy couldn't help but enquire as to the previous whereabouts of his roommate.

"Where were you, Rey? You weren't asleep when I got up."

"I was conversing with the Chairman."

Meyrin blatantly ignored Shinn's attempt to change the conversation topic.

"Well we sure believe you now! I mean, shooting, fighting in mobile suits, I wonder what else Princess Cag—"

Rey quickly cut off the younger Hawke with a stern look. "We were ordered by the Chairman not to speak of her actions Meyrin."

At Meyrin's dejected look, Luna quickly came to her little sister's defense. "No, we were told not to speak about it to _her_ or anyone off the ship. Last I checked, no one at this table falls into either category."

Rey responded to Luna's defense with a warning tone. "I will not risk rebuke from the Chairman _and_ captain based on semantics."

After speaking, the rule-reverent Red Coat promptly got up and left the cafeteria. Shinn assumed his friend was making his way to their room to finish his food.

Right after Rey left the buzzing room, Shinn blocked out the rest of his friends' chatter and was left to deal with the countless thoughts using his head as a track.

He was just about to finish his toast, when one thought in particular crashed into the forefront of his mind.

' _The Zaku blocked the beam…the one that could have killed me.'_

It took a quick second for him to digest exactly what that meant.

'…_Fuck…the one who saved my life...__**She**__ was the one who saved my life!'_

"Shinn! If you were going to break your spoon anyways, you may as well have given it to me!"

His rankling thoughts were interrupted by the whining of a griping Vino.

"And I only needed one more of those to finish my masterpie—"

Static permeated the room.

Shinn tensed in anticipation. Despite his understanding that whatever this video guy was doing was a complete breech of personal space and privacy on the deepest level, Shinn couldn't help but feel a strange…excitement…to see another clip.

The static disappeared, and the PLANT news was on again.

Everyone who had been watching the screen with wicked eagerness visually deflated in disappointment.

Well, except for the representative, who let out an exhalation of pure relief.

Shinn then became aware of the irritating fact that he was getting way too accustomed to keeping an eye on her.

Speaking of, the target of his gaze had just finished her breakfast and seemed to be making her way out of the room.

After waiting a minute or so after her departure (so that his friends wouldn't become suspicious), Shinn passed his unfinished toast over to the always hungry Yolan and made his way out of the cafeteria.

He had some business to settle with the girl.

-.-.-.-.-..-.

He sped up his gait and closed the distance between them, so that he was only a few meters behind her.

He firmly believed he had every right to be angry at her for saving his life. All that action had resulted in was making him feel as if he…as if he _owed_ her something.

But he didn't.

He couldn't.

He _wouldn't._

He would _never_ owe anything to the people responsible for his family's death.

He stopped where he was before shouting at her back, "What you did out there, it doesn't change anything!"

Upon hearing his declaration, the Princess turned to face the irascible pilot.

See, Cagalli wasn't exactly having the best day.

After all, she had just dealt with two memories (which she would prefer to submerge and drown in the seas of her subconscious) being brought out in the open for everyone to see.

And she had to calm down a pissed off Athrun for a _second_ time.

Apparently, the airing of the second video last night had convinced him that she needed some sort of 'saving'. And thus, it was only logical that she tell him "the name of the guy" so that he could "kill him" upon re-entry into Orb.

She mentally scoffed at his words_. 'So much for not prying...'_

Evidently, the representative was having a terrible day.

So when she was brought out of her sarcastic contemplations by an angry boy (who was just all too easy to rile) one shouldn't hold her accountable for her…confrontational…attitude.

"Oh? You mean _saving_ your _ungrateful_ ass?" She replied snarkily.

He seemed affronted at her suggestion. "I could have handled it! I had everything under control before you showed up!"

She outwardly scoffed at his exclamations. "Yah, that was _obvious_ from the way the beam was a _second_ away from obliterating the Impulse and you to a billion little bits."

His scowl deepened at her sarcasm and his intense red eyes glowered. "I _didn't_ need your help."

At his admonition, her face sobered.

"…Didn't need…or didn't want?"

"Does it matter?!" He countered quickly, not seeing the point of her question.

She sighed. "Ya…it does."

Doubt flickered in his vermilion eyes for half a second, before anger permeated them again. "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"_Does_ _it_ _matter_?" She smiled teasingly and raised a blonde brow at the younger pilot as she parroted his earlier words.

Shinn growled in irritation at her amusement. His ire only increased when he heard her let out a small laugh as she turned to walked away.

'_Errr…whatever!'_

He had training.

The three Red coats had just finished a debriefing with the captain and were currently talking on their way to the battle simulators.

To Shinn's relief, he found that whenever Luna was around Rey, she refrained from mentioning anything to do with the Princess.

That, of course, resulted in Shinn pretty much being the other male's shadow for the fast five hours.

As they walked past the lounge, they noticed that the Chairman, Princess, and Athrun seemed to be in some sort of intense conversation. Then again, both males were pinochles of composure, while the blonde explosive was loudly yelling something about "false accusations" and "lack of proof" and "the last war".

Snoppy as ever, Luna was overly obvious in changing her gait to walk by the room very slowly. Then, her eyes flashed as if she had just had a brilliant idea. Turning away from Rey, she walked into the room and acted as if she was looking for something she had forgotten there.

Luna being Luna made sure to hold Shinn back with her and forced him to "help" her find the lost object.

Shinn was about ready to stomp out of the room, catch up with Rey, and get as far away from Cagalli as possible, when the sole television in the room took on a familiar static.

Despite his constant attempts to convince himself that he had no interest in the Princess or her personal life, even he couldn't deny that the excitement from earlier had returned.

Only this time, it was stronger.

He absentmindedly noted that the feeling was getting more pronounced as each video was shown. Like the anticipation when trying to assemble the pieces of a puzzle. That expectation that once you've put those pieces in the right place…the entire puzzle will come together and make sense.

The static faded to show, for once, a date.

The video was dated in the middle of the last war.

It looked to be showing the inside of a ship. It was a hallway which had a large window that looked out unto space. From the view, Shinn could tell that the ship was moving.

Some yelling could be heard off camera, and within a few seconds a brown-haired teen came striding down the hall. He almost went right off screen, but was stopped by the hands of a slightly younger Cagalli.

From her breathing, Shinn could ascertain that she had just chased the brunette down from wherever they had come from.

He glanced at the Princess sitting in the room and noticed that she obviously remembered this memory. Well, if the dread on her face was anything to go by. Shinn also noticed that she gave a brief apologetic glance at Athrun, who was sitting beside her on one of the powder blue couches in the room. Athrun didn't notice her look, because he was too engrossed by the scene playing on the screen. From the recognition in his eyes, he must have known the boy in it.

"Kira! Kira wait!" The blonde pulled on the boy's other arm.

From what Shinn could see, "Kira" was in pilot's attire and seemed to be very angry about something.

He roughly yanked his arms from Cagalli and turned to face away from her.

She sighed in exasperation and spoke again. Her voice was saturated with confusion, presumably at the purple-eyed boy's reaction. "I still don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this! You are being totally irrational and you're acting like some crazy person! I don't understand any of it." As she continued her spiel, the boy's face showed he was becoming even more furious. "He's on our side now Kira! Moreover, he is _your_ _best_ _friend_—"

Having enough, Kira abruptly turned around and gripped her upper arms. The force of his grip pressed her against the railing. He glared at her as he exploded.

"_Exactly_!"

She glared right back at him with utter confusion. "You are making _absolutely_ NO SENSE!"

From her subtle flinch Shinn could tell that his grip on her arms was getting tighter. Kira snarled before continuing, shaking her to emphasize his words.

"Athrun was my _best_ _friend_ Cagalli! He was my best friend for _years_ and he didn't stop to think _twice_ before trying to kill me when ZAFT ordered him to! What makes you think he'll so much as _hesitate_ before turning against you!"

In the lounge, Athrun went rigid and wide-eyed at the boy's accusation.

On screen, Cagalli just looked at the boy in sheer disbelief. Anger quickly took over.

"YOU LIAR! This isn't about Athrun's loyalty at all! And in case you've forgotten, you fought him back! Now _stop_ _lying_ _to_ _me_; why are you acting like this?!" Her voice lowered and she hesitated slightly before continuing "I-Is it about the picture?"

At once, the boy grip on her loosened and he turned to face the side. He looked almost…ashamed?

"I-there are some things about…errr!" He growled in frustration before hitting his back against the wall and sliding down onto the floor. By that time, his hands were in his hair, holding his head as he shook it in an attempt to clear it.

"You just don't get it…you don't _understand_…"

At his admonition, the girl lowered herself to his level and brought her hand softly onto one of the arms grasping onto the side of his head.

"Then help me understand, Kira?" Cagalli's voice was soft as she said this, and Shinn couldn't help but note that it sounded so much like his mother's. He quickly removed the disturbing comparison from his mind though, as he focused again on the scene in front of him. As Shinn did so, he notice that a third character had entered the view of the camera. The red-haired girl was behind a corridor though, so she wasn't noticed by the boy and girl on the hallway floor.

Speaking of, Kira's hands were slowly making there way down from his head. When his hands reached his sides, he turned and stared directly into the eyes of the Princess. By then, he had adopted a grave expression.

"I don't want you piloting anymore Cagalli."

She immediately seemed affronted at his suggestion.

"_Excuse me_?"

His voice dropped and his tone was serious. "You heard me correctly. I do not want you in a mobile suit for the rest of this war. Stay on the ship. Or better yet, stay in Orb. Hide in some goddamn safe house or something…just stay somewhere _safe_."

She looked at him in sheer disbelief and hurt. "I can fight Kira. You know I can, especially now! I can save people!"

His brow lowered. "No. You can't. Not anymore. I'll personally fly you back down to Orb if I have to."

Any emotion she had resembling betrayal quickly morphed into anger.

"You are such a hypocrite! _You_ piloted the Strike before it was destroyed and now _you _arepiloting the Freedom! I have just as much of a right to protect this ship as you do!"

'_He was the pilot of the Strike!_' Shinn and Luna gasped in surprise. Every ZAFT soldier knew that Athrun had destroyed the Strike in battle. At the time, he was applauded for _killing_ the coordinator that was fighting for the EA.

'_But this guy…the pilot of the Strike survived!'_

Moreover, he was now the pilot of the Freedom.

Said pilot spoke with genuine honesty as he responded to the girl. "You know it doesn't matter if I die. It _matters_ if you die."

She looked appalled at his suggestion. But before she could say anything he brought his hand up to her cheek and smiled.

"I promised myself that I would keep you safe—that I would do everything I could to make sure you survived this war. I don't care if I have to leave EA and join Orb. No matter what happens…_I am keeping that promise_."

She shook her head and spoke resolutely. "Your life matters just as much as mine Kira. I can save so many lives, you know how good I am! _I can't be killed_."

He gave her a patronizing smile before responding. "But you can die."

She seemed like she was about to counter his statement, but the boy quickly got up. His demeanor completely changed, and he seemed almost carefree as he spoke.

"I'm going to get some dinner. Hopefully, the kitchen is still open. Did you want something?"

She sputtered for a second, before sighing and shaking her head. "…Water please."

"As you wish _your highness_!" He threw the teasing response over his shoulder as he walked away. Cagalli just rolled her eyes from her position on the floor.

When he exited the view of the camera, Shinn was expecting to see the screen go black.

However, the figure that had been standing behind the corridor decided to make herself known and walked up to the Princess.

Seeing her, the Princess just sighed in exasperation. "Flay. To what do I owe the nuisance?"

The red-haired girl snarled and spoke in a high pitched voice. "Did you really think that no one would figure out what you're doing?"

Cagalli just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "As per usual…I have _no_ _idea_ what you're talking about."

The girl just smiled condescendingly before she continued in a voice that was quickly getting on Shinn's nerves. "The two strongest players from both sides just happen to defect, and you thought no one would notice?"

Cagalli turned serious and stood up from her previous seated position.

She glared at the red-head and spoke in a warning tone. "Watch it Flay."

The girl, Flay, blatantly ignored the blonde as she continued to speed. "Kira:pilot of the Strike. You find out he's the reason EA's on the verge of winning the war and then all of a sudden, he's just _infatuated_ with you! He's willing to do anything to protect _Orb_ and its _princess_, even get the Strike destroyed as some ploy to be able to join Orb undetected!"

Cagalli looked like she was about to ring the girl's neck, and was just barely constraining herself.

"And that Zala guy? All it took was some simple searching into the database to find out he was the pilot of the Aegis, the strongest pilot on Zaft's side _and_ the Chairmans's son. One of their most devoted soldiers meets you and all of a sudden he can't wait to protect the _dear_ princess of Orb."

Cagalli visibly took three deep breaths (presumably to calm herself down) before turning away from the girl, as if she was about to walk away.

"You can think what you want Flay, but that doesn't make it true."

"Oh, but it makes it possible. And deep down, you know I'm right." Flay quickly countered.

Cagalli growled. "No, you're _deranged_."

Flay just laughed. "Maybe, but not as much as you. Really, playing with their emotions, pretending to be the damsel that needs saving…all so that they'll put their lives down to fight for you and protect _your_ country. I must admit, I'm kind of impressed, no matter what any reporter says, you really are willing to do _anything_ to make sure Orb survives this war. Even if it means sending them out to do your dirty work."

Whatever patience Cagalli had been latching onto was blown to bits.

"_That's it_! Listen up you _bitch_—"

She was cut off by a familiar voice. "Cagalli? Flay! What are you doing!"

Flay just sneered. "And here comes Kira, jumping at the chance to play the knight in shining armour to the villain."

With that, the red-headed girl strode off in the opposite direction.

Kira came onto screen, and was visibly distressed. "Cagalli what's wrong? Why were you talking to her? Did she say anything to you? God, I knew I never should have left you alone…"

Whatever happened next remained unknown, because the video chose that time to cut off.

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